Branding Your Small Business In a Way That Shines Above the Competition

In the US, there are 32.5 million small businesses. So if you have a small business of your own, you’ve got to stand out from your competition. This means finding out what sets your business apart and honing in on it. One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this is by perfecting your branding.

Your brand is how individuals perceive and think about your small business, so it’s vital in converting new customers and keeping the regulars coming back for more. But branding is by no means a small undertaking. Your logo, slogan, website, social media, press releases, ads, customer communications, and even the labels on your items all play a part in creating your brand.

If you’d like to perfect your branding and get ahead of your competitors but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to find your brand and get it out there, so you can pull ahead of the other businesses in your industry niche.

Why Is Branding Important For Your Business?

While it would be great to attract every potential customer, unfortunately, your business can’t please everyone at once. Instead, your brand will help you reach out to customers that are interested in your niche, and tell them everything they need to know about your business in a few small moves. Having a cohesive brand will:

Make an Impression - The best branding makes your business, and everything it represents, memorable. As soon as customers or potential customers see your logo or signature colors, they’ll know what they’ll be getting from your products and customer service.

Generate More Customers - Creating a unique but representative brand for your business will help you target your ideal customers. For example, if potential customers are looking for next-day delivery and your brand is all about getting products out to customers quickly, they’ll be far more likely to choose you over your competition.

Increase Business Value - Having an established brand helps to create trust and connection between your business and potential customers. However, your brand will also draw in potential investors and partnerships within your industry. This can lead your business to continued success, as your brand will increase your business’s value.

The Basics of Branding

Contrary to popular belief, while your logo is vital to your brand, it is not the only branding your business needs. Arguably, everything about your business that can be viewed by potential customers or other businesses in your niche is part of your branding. But, if you’re just starting, neither of those approaches is helpful to create your perfect brand.

Instead, as a first step, it’s best to do some groundwork to determine exactly how you want your business to be perceived and why. Here are some questions you might like to ask yourself about your potential brand.

Internal Brand Questions

• Why did you start your business and what are you hoping to achieve?
• What is the main challenge for your target market that your product/service provides a solution for?
• Why should customers choose you over your competition?

External Brand Questions

• How do your customers perceive your business?
• How do you want customers to perceive your business?
• What are your competitors’ brands?

When researching what customers want and need from your brand, it’s important to get out there and talk to them. You can do this through your social media or mailing list by sending out surveys, or by reading any reviews you’ve gotten. Going off what you think about your customers or what your imaginary ideal customer would want can be a good place to start. However, actually reaching out to your customers for their feedback on potential branding can highlight things you might not have considered otherwise.

Creating Your Brand Guide

Once you’ve got a clear idea of your unique selling points and aims for your brand, you can get started on creating a brand guide. This will help you build a brand that is easily identifiable across all platforms, as well as add an extra level of professionalism to your business that competitors may not have.

What Is a Brand Guide?

Also sometimes referred to as a ‘style guide’, or ‘brand guidelines’, your brand guide is essentially a set of instructions detailing what your brand is, as well as where, when, and how it should be used. Your brand guide can be useful for you and your employees whenever you’re creating marketing or other materials for your business. For example, if you are undergoing a website redesign to correspond with your new branding, you can give your branding strategy and guide to the designer, who can then use it to create your perfect site.

What Is Included in Your Brand Guide?

Below, we’ll dive a little deeper into some of the things that are most beneficial to include in your branding guidelines.

• Brand Story - This is essentially a summary of your brand’s ‘personality’. Under this heading, you can include your business’s mission (your aims), vision (how those aims will guide you), and an audience summary (who those aims will affect).
• Brand Voice - This refers to the way your brand will communicate with ideal customers and other businesses. You can include a few qualities your communication will have, and some examples of potential communication. For example, if your business provides private mortgages, you will likely be targeting first-time buyers who have been rejected by larger banks. This means your brand voice might be helpful, story-based, reassuring, and professional. On the other hand, if your business sells personalized dog collars, your brand voice might be pet-obsessed, driven by individuality, vibrancy, and fun.
• Brand Color Palette - This may seem like an arbitrary addition, but brand colors can come to define your business. We’re all familiar with Coca-cola red and white, and Amazon orange and black. It’s worth doing some research into color theory and what emotions different colors elicit, or if you already have a logo you might like to use the colors from that. Under this heading, lay out what colors you’ll be using and when. For example, all titles must be in light blue, while sub-headings are in navy, and the body text is black.
• Logo Guidelines - Under this heading you should detail any versions of your logo you have and how they should be used. This includes the size of the logo and any blank space that needs to be left around it. Remember to explain where your logo is stored and how designers and employees can retrieve it.
• Font and Typography Guidelines - In this section of your brand guide, you can go into detail about what fonts will be associated with your business. As well as this, you should outline any rules as to spacing, margins, and font combinations. You could also outline the use of capital letters, exclamation points, or even emojis.
• Image Guidelines - In this section, you should collect examples of imagery that you would like to represent your brand. These can be images that you’ll be using in your branding, and you should outline where and when these will be used. However, you may just like to make mood boards of potential brand imagery.

How To Make Your Brand Stand Out

Now you’ve created a unique brand and know exactly how you’ll be using it, you can work on employing it in the most effective ways to get ahead of your competitors. Here are some tips to take your brand to the next level.

Research Your Competition - We all know the adage-keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This also applies to branding, so analyzing your competitors’ branding will help you determine how you differ. You can identify weaknesses in their brand compared to demand from your target market, then incorporate this into your own brand to set yourself apart.

Go Against the Current - It can be tempting to simply follow along with what is proven to work for brands in your industry niche. However, if your business is the one to crack open an innovative branding method, it can skyrocket your company and put you well ahead of your competition. Don’t be afraid to stand out by taking a different approach to your target market. A refreshing brand with a completely unique voice is sure to get people’s attention if nothing else.

Little Things Make a Big Difference - Sometimes great customer experiences, and the resulting positive perception of your business, can be made by the smallest touches. For example, if your brand voice focuses on a caring, customer-first tone, including a helpful booklet or thank you note with your products can be that extra touch that turns customers into regulars. Or, if your business focuses on sustainability then eco-friendly packaging is a must, but why not add a small seed packet to orders as a gift? Even writing a quote on a customer’s order confirmation is a unique idea that can put you well ahead of your competition in terms of customer opinion.

Consistency is Key - Once you’ve found your brand, you should employ it across your site, social media, and any correspondence with customers. Having a consistent brand will ensure as many people as possible form a positive opinion of your business. This goes for any social media posts you make too. Find a balance between letting your brand evolve naturally and trying out new things, but don’t take branding changes lightly. Rather than scrapping your existing branding, build on it by showcasing your achievements.

Create A Brand Strategy - A brand strategy is a document that details exactly how you plan to create a positive perception of your business. As well as focusing on how you’ll make your brand memorable, you can discuss how often you’ll update your branding, how you’ll involve employees in branding, and how you’ll reward customers. For an in-depth guide on creating your brand strategy, click here.

Focus on Customer Service - Ultimately, the best way to create a brand that stands out from your competition is to make sure you deliver on your promises. While focusing on your branding is highly beneficial, don’t forget to think about how you can innovate the customer journey and experience. To ensure your customers perceive your business in a positive light, deliver positive experiences from the ground up. When you receive glowing reviews, put them on your site or social media.

Sources

• https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/small-business-statistics
• https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/business-the-basics-of-branding/77408
• https://www.brandingmag.com/2015/10/14/what-is-branding-and-why-is-it-important-for-your-business/
• https://mailchimp.com/en-gb/resources/the-basics-of-branding/
• https://getwemail.io/digital-marketing/how-to-make-your-brand-stand-out/
• https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/why-you-need-brand-guidelines
• https://piktochart.com/blog/brand-guidelines/
• https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/31739/7-components-that-comprise-a-comprehensive-brand-strategy.aspx
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